 snap a two-game skid. Javier Baez extended the majors' longest hitting streak to 15 games.Bryant went deep in the seventh, eighth and ninth, making him the 12th player to homer in three straight innings. He finished with four hits and extended his on-base streak to 26 games, a career best and the longest active run in the majors.Contreras also had four hits. His ninth-inning homer off Matt Grace capped an 11-run barrage for the Cubs against the Nationals' beleaguered bullpen.Schwarber broke open a one-run game in the eighth with a two-run homer against Kyle Barraclough that concluded a 13-pitch at-bat. Bryant followed two pitches later with his 10th homer.Chicago starter Cole Hamels (4-0) won for the fourth time in five starts. The left-hander tossed five effective innings, squirming out of two bases-loaded jams, as the Cubs improved to 7-2 in his nine starts this season.The only damage Hamels allowed was a two-run home run to Anthony Rendon in the third inning.Washington (18-26) has yet to win three in a row this season and has dropped all six of Scherzer's home starts.Scherzer (2-5) struggled with his command over six innings. He walked a season-high four and gave up a two-run homer to Almora, his fourth of the season, in the second. Scherzer also struck out eight before exiting.Trea Turner went 2 for 5 in his return from a broken right index finger that kept the Nationals shortstop out of the lineup for 38 games.Almora made a diving catch in center field to rob Juan Soto of a hit in the ninth inning.TRAINER'S ROOMCubs: Cubs: 1B Anthony Rizzo (back) returned to the lineup after missing four games and went 1 for 5 with a strikeout and run scored.Nationals: RHP Anibal Sanchez was placed on the 10-day injured list (strained left hamstring).UP NEXTCubs: LHP Jon Lester (3-1, 1.16) has not allowed an earned run in his last starts. He's 2-2 with a 4.25 ERA in seven career starts against the Nationals.Nationals: RHP Steven Strasburg (3-3, 3.63) has lost his last two starts. He is 1-1 with a 2.23 ERA in six career starts against the Cubs.---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Martinez faces mentor Maddon as Nats host Cubs Nationals manager Dave Martinez, who has come under fire from some of the fan base, will meet his mentor when under-performing Washington begins a series at home Friday night with the Chicago Cubs.Martinez, in his second season as a skipper, was a bench coach in Tampa Bay and with the Cubs under Chicago manager Joe Maddon. This will be the third series in which they will meet as managers, after two such events last season.Martinez will send well-rested ace Max Scherzer (2-4, 3.64 ERA) to the mound against Cubs lefty Cole Hamels (3-0, 3.08). The two met at Wrigley Field on Aug. 12, 2018, and each player had a strong outing.Scherzer, who started Saturday at the Dodgers, allowed three hits and no runs with 11 strikeouts in seven innings, while Hamels gave up one hit and one run with nine strikeouts in seven innings last year. Scherzer is 4-1 with a 2.55 ERA in eight career starts against the Cubs. The only time he lost to them was in 2016.Hamels is 16-9, 2.67 in 37 career starts against Washington, with many of those outings coming when he pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies. He has not beaten the Nationals since 2015. Washington hitters are 44-for-193 (.228) against Hamels, with five homers.But 88 of those at-bats, and three homers, are from first baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who is on the Injured List. Cubs batters are 20-for-95 (.211) with three homers off Scherzer, who could see a new look Friday.Maddon played with the top of his lineup and used outfielder Kyle Schwarber as the leadoff man Thursday at Cincinnati."He's actually one of the better candidates do this with," Maddon told mlb.com. "I'm kind of intrigued, actually." Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo has been dealing with a back issue but could play Friday."That's how I'm anticipating this right now," Maddon told MLB.com. "But he's feeling better. He is." The Nationals have gotten a big lift from outfielder/first baseman Gerardo Parra, who they picked up last week after he had been let go by the San Francisco Giants. Parra had three hits and drove in three runs in a 7-6 win on Thursday against the New York Mets. His two-run homer in the fifth broke a 4-4 tie after the Nationals had scored four in the last of the first to take a 4-0 lead."He has been tremendous," said Martinez. "He just loves to play the game. He is very vocal in the clubhouse." Parra has had to fill in at first base with Zimmerman and Matt Adams on the Injured List. Utility man Howie Kendrick, who started at second on Thursday, has also seen action at first base.Parra has two homers and has driven in seven in his first five games with Washington."That is what I do every day," Parra said of bringing energy to the Nationals. "I try to swing at good pitches. That is the key right now." Washington shortstop Trea Turner played in his second minor league rehab game Wednesday with Single-A Potomac of the Carolina League. He was at Nationals Park on Thursday and could be activated in time for the Friday game.He fractured his right index finger when he was hit by a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 2.The Cubs sat through a rain delay Thursday night in Cincinnati before losing 4-2 to the Reds. Chicago had just four hits, with two by Javier Baez -- who is hitting .326 and is among the league leaders in several categories.--Field Level Media
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